Exploring the Effects of Organisational Culture on Innovation: A Mixed-Methods Study of Multinational Subsidiaries in the Irish ICT Sector
Citation:
WOLF, FRAUKE, Exploring the Effects of Organisational Culture on Innovation: A Mixed-Methods Study of Multinational Subsidiaries in the Irish ICT Sector, Trinity College Dublin.School of Business.BUSINESS, 2018Download Item:
Frauke Wolf PhD Thesis Corrections Approved.pdf (Thesis) 4.981Mb
Abstract:
This research explores how organisational culture affects innovation in subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs) in the Irish information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Much recent discourse has highlighted the supporting role of organisational culture in regard to stimulating innovation, which has culminated in the emergence of the concept of an innovation-supportive culture (Jassawalla & Sashittal, 2002). Whereas it is recognised that organisational culture has an impact on the level of innovation in an organisation and can either support or hinder the implementation of innovations (Ahmed, 1998; Jassawalla & Sashittal, 2002), little is known about this association in the context of the multinational subsidiary.
This research seeks to conceptualise a supportive organisational culture in a subsidiary as an antecedent to innovation at the subsidiary level. The research questions are ?What dimensions of organisational culture predict the number of innovations implemented in multinational subsidiaries in the Irish ICT sector?? and ?What are subsidiary management?s perceptions of innovation-supportive organisational culture dimensions?? as well as ?What influences the relationship between organisational culture and innovation in multinational subsidiaries in the Irish ICT sector??.
This study was undertaken in MNCs operating in the ICT sector in Ireland. Irish subsidiaries in this sector that are Industrial Development Agency (IDA) client companies were the main subjects of this research. A sequential explanatory mixed methods research design was employed, consisting of a quantitative survey followed by semi-structured interviews with top management in selected subsidiaries. Ireland is heavily dependent on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and the IDA plays a role in promoting specific sectors as focus areas for investment, which provides a compelling context in which to position the current research.
The findings indicate that the dimensions of organisational culture differentially affected innovation in the subsidiaries. The effects of organisational culture also varied for the different forms of innovation. It was established that organisational culture represents a significant influence on innovation in subsidiaries. The level of subsidiary innovation was also affected by organisational systems and processes designed to support innovation, other organisational determinants, such as management support, and the headquarters subsidiary relationship.
Based on the integrated research findings, the main theoretical contribution of this thesis is the development of a theoretical model of innovation-supportive culture in subsidiaries. Overall, the findings of this thesis reveal the importance of organisational culture in supporting innovation at the subsidiary level and highlight the highly contextual nature of both organisational culture and innovation in subsidiaries. This thesis contributes to the innovativeness literature by responding to the call for a more multidimensional exploration of organisational culture (Dobni, 2008) and to the MNC subsidiary literature by responding to a call for a greater appreciation of the role of a supportive culture with regard to subsidiary entrepreneurship (Birkinshaw, 1997; Birkinshaw, Hood, & Jonsson, 1998).
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http://people.tcd.ie/wolffrDescription:
APPROVED
Author: Wolf, Frauke
Advisor:
Brennan, MichaelPublisher:
Trinity College Dublin. School of Business. Discipline of Business & Administrative StudiesType of material:
ThesisCollections:
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Full text availableKeywords:
International Business, Subsidiaries, Innovation, Organisational Culture, MNCs, ICT SectorLicences: